Jaylen Brown deserves a spot here
By all accounts, Jaylen Brown has had a pretty great summer so far. I don’t think there’s any debating that.
He won his first NBA championship with the Celtics and brought home the Finals MVP trophy. He also had an absolute blast at the championship parade. So much fun, in fact, that he actually lost a ring. And then some fans actually gave it back to him instead of holding it and pawning it or something.
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As good as his summer is going, though, he seems pretty salty right now. In a few weeks, Team USA’s basketball team will take off for the Olympics in France and, somehow, Brown won’t be there despite proving himself as one of the best players in the NBA.
He didn’t make the initial roster. It’s hard to argue he should’ve considering the number of future Hall of Famers are on the team. But then Kawhi Leonard dropped out, according to a statement from the team.
An update on Kawhi Leonard from the USA Basketball Men's National Team. pic.twitter.com/84TjYpc90i
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 10, 2024
So, naturally, you’d think that Brown would be a natural fit to slide in and replace Leonard. They’re both wing players. They’re both excellent defenders. They both can score when needed. Brown is a much better athlete at this point, too.
But NOPE. Still, no Jaylen Brown. Instead, Team USA picked his Celtics’ teammate Derrick White over him.
Celtics guard Derrick White will be replacing Kawhi Leonard with USA Basketball, a source told @andscape.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 10, 2024
Brown tweeted this shortly after the selection was reported and announced.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 10, 2024
He doesn’t seem too pleased with being overlooked for this team again. It’s hard to blame him — he’s proven himself as one of the best players in the NBA.
Of course, part of him is probably happy for his teammate. And there were legitimate reasons to go with White here. But, man. But as an All-Star and a Finals MVP, that must be a tough pill to swallow.
Celtics camp is going to be pretty interesting this summer.
